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Nevada Is Making So Much Money Off Legal Weed That Other States Want In

Brendan Bures
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Nevada Is Making So Much Money Off Legal Weed That Other States Want In

For financial proof of what marijuana legalization can do to boost a state’s coffers, look no further than Nevada. The state’s incipient legal marijuana program has generated more than $30 million in tax revenue in its first six months. Nevada has reported almost $11 million in wholesale tax and $19.5 million in retail tax, according to the Nevada Patch.

Another interesting nugget: Legal marijuana sales exceeded more than $1 million a day on average. Nevada’s legal marijuana sales have already passed Colorado’s, despite how much longer the latter state has enjoyed legal marijuana. A major contributing factor of Nevada’s success can be explained by the friendly tourist environment found in Las Vegas.

In fact, the city made trending news recently as marijuana “drop boxes” were installed at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport for tourists with leftover marijuana. Nevada’s legal marijuana market is expected to be worth $622 million by 2020, according to Forbes.

Those numbers have made some states’ officials revisit their position on legalizing marijuana.

Via Forbes:

All of that tax revenue has caused some cash-strapped states to consider legalizing marijuana. The potential of legal cannabis to help balance the budget has been key to the legalization debate in Connecticut. While state Governor Dannel Malloy has been an opponent to legalizing cannabis, he included the possibility of recreational legalization as an option to consider for balancing the budget.

While legalizing marijuana for tax revenue purposes instead of weighing how its criminal status adversely affects citizens may be a cynical view, the evidence is there. Marijuana money is there, if politicians are willing to listen.

This Denver Coffee Shop Will Be Nation’s First Cannabis Club

Brendan Bures
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This Denver Coffee Shop Will Be Nation’s First Cannabis Club

A Denver coffee shop has received the first license from the city for its patrons to openly consume marijuana on its premises. Patrons will be charged a $5 fee and only will be allowed to use marijuana in edible or vaporizer form. The Coffee Joint is the first social club to receive permission for open marijuana consumption in the nation.

Back in 2016, Denver voters approved a measure for a social use pilot program.  The Coffee Joint was the first business to file an application under the initiative this past December. Though businesses that apply must meet some bureaucratic requirements—the business must have the backing of a neighborhood group and can’t serve alcohol—no one opposed the Coffee Joint’s proposal at a Feb. 9 meeting.

Via Denver Post:

Northern California cities have allowed smoking lounges inside several medical marijuana dispensaries for years, and that state’s recent legalization of recreational marijuana sales expanded access to some of them. But Denver’s program will be the first nationally to allow marijuana use by patrons of regular businesses of varying types that are open to the public, as long as they get licensed and follow several rules set by the city.

This program could potentially solve a long-standing problem in Denver as well. While cannabis legalization has drawn in many of curious visitors, those tourists don’t have any legal place to consume their purchases whereas residents can consume in the privacy of their homes.

This program will be the first of its kind in the country, though other states like Alaska, Nevada, and Massachusetts have discussed similar initiatives, according to Forbes.

Revealed: Leaked Images Of Apple’s New iPhone X Plus

Maria Loreto
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Revealed: Leaked Images Of Apple’s New iPhone X Plus

According to recent leaks, the new version of the iPhone, a remodel of the iPhone X, will be bigger than ever. This news confirms rumors that Apple has been redesigning their devices as a way of appeasing the public and creating a product that features what people really want: bigger screens.

These leaks come from MacRumors, a well regarded site where concept images of the upcoming iPhone were published. These rumors fit previous leaks that claimed the device would have a 6.5 inch screen, making it the largest phone out of all the competitors on the market.

A post shared by Tato (@the_t3ch_geek) on

According to Forbes, these photos were leaked from the LG headquarters in Vietnam. Although Samsung has traditionally made the parts for the previous versions of the iPhone, Apple reportedly invested $3 Billion in LG in 2017 to develop OLED panels as a way of reducing Samsung’s strong influence over the iPhone.

This 6.5 inch phone will be launched alongside a cheaper model of the iPhone that’ll feature a smaller display of 6.1 inches and that supposedly uses LED display instead of OLED. If you’ve been dissatisfied with Apple’s screen sizes in the past, this news should please you. Just be sure to invest in jeans that have really large pockets.

Why You Should Just Say No To Trump’s Drug War Budget

Michael Collins
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Why You Should Just Say No To Trump’s Drug War Budget

It is said that the President’s budget is the clearest indication of an Administration’s policy priorities. An analysis of Trump’s proposal shows that a key priority of this White House is the escalation of the drug war. Enforcement and interdiction are back with a vengeance, and while more funding is proposed for treatment and prevention, these measures are overshadowed by a President who believes that being tough on crime is the way out of the overdose crisis.

Despite decades of failed drug policy and academic evidence showing that enforcement and incarceration are counterproductive approaches to drug policy, Trump has opted to provide more funding than ever for programs of this ilk. Under Trump’s plan, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – an agency synonymous with the drug war and plagued with scandals –receives almost $2.9 billion, around $400 million more than it received from Congress in 2017. Other drug enforcement programs also receive steep increases.

Trump’s approach contrasts sharply with the final year of the Obama administration where the President’s budget included more money for treatment and prevention than enforcement and interdiction for the first time. The Trump administration’s claim that it is requesting $13 billion to “combat the opioid epidemic” is misleading for two reasons. First, much of this money will be dedicated to enforcement and will do nothing to slow overdose deaths. Second, the amount may seem substantial, but it is eclipsed by a request of $18 billion to build a wall, showing where Trump’s priorities lie. Trump claims his wall will stop the flow of drugs, despite all evidence to the contrary. The reality is that the wall is an astonishing waste of money that serves only to stoke racial tensions and xenophobia.

The fingerprints of drug war hardliner Jeff Sessions are all over Trump’s budget. Sessions’ push for tougher sentencing for drug offenses has meant a need for more prison funding, and an internal memo leaked last month shows that Sessions is likely to increase the use of private prisons. A multi-million dollar grant program for law enforcement to do counternarcotic operations – the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program – will move from ONDCP and be under the control of the DEA, which Sessions oversees. And the Sessions Justice Department, having recently revoked guidance allowing states to set their own marijuana policy, appears poised to dedicate part of its budget to cracking down on cannabis.

Trump’s attempts to take the country backwards on drug policy are best embodied by his attempts to revive Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign, via $50m for an anti-drug media strategy. This is despite evidence that such campaigns may actually increase the likelihood of drug use among youth.

The silver lining is that the President’s Budget is merely a proposal, and ultimately Congress decides what is funded. In recent years, there has been a bipartisan consensus that the war on drugs has failed. Both parties have come together to work on marijuana reform, criminal justice reform, and to treat the opioid overdose crisis as a public health – not enforcement – challenge. Congress must continue on this path, and support initiatives that move us away from the war on drugs.

The Trump Budget is the President’s latest attempt to escalate the drug war. If fully approved, expect more mass incarceration and misery, particularly for communities of color. Instead, we must reject this approach, move away from this failed drug war model, and “just say no” to this budget.

Michael Collins is Deputy Director of Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs and author of the forthcoming report: “Defunding the Drug War”.

This story originally appeared on the Drug Policy Alliance website. 

Cannabis Tea Made With Leftover Marijuana Stems? We Have A Recipe!

Maria Loreto
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Cannabis Tea Made With Leftover Marijuana Stems? We Have A Recipe!

Tea is a great option for those who want to avoid smoking and who want to have a better control when it comes to managing their cannabis intake and its effect.

Cannabis tea is a popular way to consume, and can treat asthma, chronic pain, nausea, anxiety and other ailments in a safe way. Consuming cannabis in the form of tea affects you faster than when you consume a fat-based edible, which is why this method is so popular among medical marijuana patients.

Tea is also a great option for those who want to avoid smoking and who want to have a better control when it comes to managing their cannabis intake and its effect. Of course, if you want to enjoy some light cannabis tea, you have to prepare it in that way. It is possible to get very high if you brew a super strong cannabis infused tea. It’s all up to you. 

Check out an amazingly customizable cannabis tea recipe below: 

https://giphy.com/gifs/tea-shai-chai-uQaQAVW3QkcLK

Ingredients:

  • ⅓ or ¼ of marijuana stems.
  • 3 cups of water.
  • Regular tea, to add some flavor
  • Coffee filter, for easy brewing

You can also add marijuana to your preference, to increase the potency of the tea.

Binding Agent:

Two or three tablespoons of the alcohol of your choice or ½ cup of milk and dairy substitute that suits you. You can also use ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. 

Preparation:

You can grind the stems, break them up with your hands or simply leave them as such. There’s no real difference in the effect they produce on the tea. Grinding the stems makes the process a little messier, so if you want to simplify your brewing process you should just break the stems up into manageable pieces.

Fill up your teapot with the three cups of water, then you can add the binding agent of your choice. To increase the potency of the weed tea, alcohol works really well, but you should add it after the boiling process is over so that it doesn’t evaporate.

Once your concoction has reached a boiling point, add the stems and let them boil and simmer for 10 minutes. You can put the stems inside a large teabag, to facilitate the straining process. If you want to add a kick of strength to your tea, add some extra marijuana trims.

After these 10 minutes have passed, remove your tea from the heat. If alcohol is your binding agent, then pour those tablespoons in. 

Now just remove the stems and your tea is ready to drink! If you didn’t use a teabag, you must strain the tea with the help of the coffee filter, so that you don’t find any twigs in your cup. After your tea is poured and ready to drink, you can add some honey or raw sugar to improve the taste, or maybe a bag of your favorite tea. This drink is very customizable, so be creative and enjoy!   

These Are The Most Lusted After Olympic Athletes On Tinder

Amy Hansen
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These Are The Most Lusted After Olympic Athletes On Tinder

If your idea of a winter sport is trying to rack up as many dates as you can, you’re in good company. During the Olympics, the village is en fuego with burning skin from people swiping right like it was, well, an Olympic sport.

Tinder has revealed exactly which athletes are getting the most attention. And it’s not at all surprising. During the winter games, the folks getting the most right swipes are male bobsledders and female snowboarders.

https://giphy.com/gifs/games-olympics-l1IBjpSqIY0zAhzO0

Following  bobsledders, the most right-swiped male athletes, according to Tinder, have been hockey players, snowboarders, alpine skiers, and skeleton racers.

And the most right-swiped female athletes after snowboarders were alpine skiers, bobsledders, lugers and freestyle skiers.

Tinder said it has seen a 348 percent increase of usage in the city of PyeongChang, compared to its usage in the area prior to the games.

“Every Olympics we hear that Tinder is on fire in the villages and we notice our usage increase significantly when people from around the world gather for an event,” said a Tinder spokeswoman.

Tinder also reports that app users based in the United States, Sweden and Great Britain are trying the most to connect with Olympians in Pyeongchang.

The company tells ABC News that since the Olympics began, its app usage in Pyeongchang has increased 348 percent with an uptick in right swipes by 565 percent. They say there’s also been an increase in matches by 644 percent.

https://giphy.com/gifs/games-olympics-3ohc123mXuJ74azJ4c

It’s also worth noting that PyeongChang broke an Olympic record of its own—for condoms. Time reports that 110,000 condoms were provided for athletes attending the Games. That’s more than 37 condoms per athlete for the 16-day competition. How do they have the energy to compete?

This Is What Could Happen If You Take Ibuprofen On An Empty Stomach

Maria Loreto
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This Is What Could Happen If You Take Ibuprofen On An Empty Stomach

Ibuprofen is one of the world’s most useful medications, treating all kinds of pain, ranging from headaches to muscle ailments and menstrual cramps.

One of the most common side effects of taking ibuprofen on an empty stomach is stomach aches. Moms, doctors and all sorts of people recommend taking the pill after having something to eat and now we know why.

POPSUGAR reports that Ibuprofen’s damage can be much more serious than a simple stomach ache. The pill can cause damages to the stomach lining, and using it in large doses over long periods of time can damage your kidneys and lead to stomach ulcers and bleeding.

Acetaminophen is generally a safer alternative to ibuprofen (when taken according to the package instructions) if you are having stomach upset or are needing to take a medication for pain for longer than a week or two.

Experts have conflicting beliefs when it comes to ibuprofen. Some claim that eating a snack before consuming the pill won’t really protect you when it comes to ulcers and kidney damage, since this occurs when ibuprofen is abused over long periods of time, while others believe that you can never be too cautious, and you should eat something before taking the pill.

So just eat a little if you’re going to take the pill, you’ve got nothing to lose. And always consult an expert if your pain lasts over 48 hours.

Kate Middleton’s Baby Bump Suggests She’s Having Another One Of These

Amy Hansen
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Kate Middleton’s Baby Bump Suggests She’s Having Another One Of These

Is Kate Middleton’s baby bump further proof that she’s having a little princess? If old wives tales are correct, the higher and wider the bump,  the more likely a woman will give birth to a girl. And Kate is definitely riding high. 

Speculation started swirling months ago that the Duchess will be having another little girl, after she was spotted on multiple occasions wearing pink. And now, with just a few weeks away from the birth of her third child, some believe the shape of Kate’s bump is solid evidence that she’s having a girl. And if that’s true, it’ll be news to Kate and William, who claim not to have known the sex of any of their children before they were born, not that they aren’t guessing along with the rest of us.

The Daily Mail has some side-by-side comparison photos of Kate throughout her pregnancies and theorize that yes, she is going to have another girl because “throughout this pregnancy with her third child, the Duchess has looked more like she did when she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte than she did with Prince George – with a higher and more pronounced bump.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfWtF-xgDss

According to doctors, the way a pregnant woman carries her baby has more to do with her shape — in Kate’s case, tall and slender — than the sex of the baby.

The Mirror reports that when it comes to playing the odds, Mary is the favorite name for the new Royal, followed by Alice and Victoria. And if it’s a boy? Albert  and Arthur are the top bets.

 

NFL Teams Don’t Care Anymore If Athletes Fail Marijuana Drug Testing

Brendan Bures
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NFL Teams Don’t Care Anymore If Athletes Fail Marijuana Drug Testing

Like most of society, the National Football League’s views on marijuana may be changing. Every year around this time, marijuana and football become intertwined in a predictable manner—failed drug tests.

At the NFL Combine, future potential players compete in various athletic and mental tests to document up close their value for teams’ front offices. They also submit to a drug test and someone notable fails ever year. Because players know it’s coming, teams consider the drug test as an “unofficial intelligence test.” The thinking goes: Basically you’d be an idiot to fail, so if you do fail…

But teams may be changing their stance. According to Bleacher Report, many teams no longer regard marijuana usage as the detrimental character issue they once did. Just last year, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones privately advocated to end the league’s prohibition on marijuana.

“We just don’t care as much about marijuana as we used to,” a longtime AFC team official told Bleacher Report, adding:

Instead, several team officials said they are putting far more emphasis on domestic violence and other severe criminal acts.

A player that fails a combine drug test for pot will still be flagged, and his draft value will diminish. Just not as much as it did in previous years.

[…]

As society has shifted its views toward marijuana, including legalizing it in several states, and become less tolerant of violent abusers, the NFL is slowly reflecting that societal shift.

What’s important to remember here: Though the NFL’s chief medical officer has stated marijuana research is “really important,” cannabis remains on the league’s banned substances list. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whose contract was recently extended, has also spouted some misinformed opinions regarding cannabis and its medicinal values.

Don’t expect a wave of support from front offices and executives any time soon essentially. It’s progress that players entering the league seemingly won’t be punished for cannabis usage like they once were, but it still isn’t anything resembling honest change.

Jesus’ Butt Was Hiding A 240-Year-Old Secret Message

Maria Loreto
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Jesus’ Butt Was Hiding A 240-Year-Old Secret Message

A statue of Christ in Spain has been hiding a message in its butt for over 240 years, completing the ultimate act of trolling ever recorded in the history of mankind.

The hidden message was stored on a secret compartment in the statue’s butt, hidden by a piece of cloth that the Christ was wearing. Huffington Post reports that the only reason this compartment was discovered was because the statue, known as the Cristo del Miserere, had to be taken in for restoration.

Instead of containing a mysterious map that leads to treasure, the inside of the statue only contained a letter from 1777, written by Joaquin Minguez, a chaplain of the Cathedral of Burgo de Osma. The letter was the chaplain’s version of a time capsule, describing how life was 240 years ago and discussing the statue and other works of art created by the artist.

The letter also described some of the games that people used to play at the time (including cards and ball), some of the diseases that existed (such as malaria and typhoid), and the most common types of crop.

The original document was sent to the archbishop and a copy was returned to the statue’s butt for posterity. And for fun.

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